The Williams Record

Cable Mills development offers attractive housing for faculty

The Cable Mills housing development will be available for faculty of the College. Photo courtesy of Cablemills.com

The development of Cable Mills, a newly renovated housing complex located on Water Street, will provide new housing opportunities for faculty and staff as part of a leasing agreement with the College.

“We think it’s a very important project for the town; therefore, it’s a very important project for the College,” Frederick Puddester, Vice President for Finance and Administration, said. “I think it’ll revitalize Water Street.”

In the five-year leasing agreement with the College, Harsch Associates, the real estate agency in charge of the property, agreed to designate around five to nine of the new apartments for College faculty and staff. The other apartments will be available for leasing to the public.

The building itself is a result of several renovations to a historic twine mill built in 1873. The mill underwent several transitions over the years, manufacturing things such as bleaching dye, woven fabrics, wire and cable. The factory finally closed in the 1990s and has only recently undergone construction into single, double and triple bedroom living spaces. The spaces boast several amenities, including large windows, stainless steel appliances, in-home laundry, a fitness center, storage spaces and nice views of the Green River and Berkshire Mountains.

The spaces for the College faculty will be added to the approximately 130 other apartments and houses around Williamstown that are made available for new College staff. Selection for these living spaces is made through a seniority-based lottery system which is similar to the lottery system for sophomores, juniors and seniors at the College. Some faculty members have already expressed interest in the space.

Additionally, according to iBerkshires, 13 units of the complex are marked as “affordable housing,” which are available to applicants who make up to 80 percent of the area’s medium income (“Cable Mills Project Looking for Applicants for Affordable Units,” Sept. 3, 2015).

Puddester expressed high hopes for the Cable Mills property and believes it will be very popular among staff.

“If you’re coming from a city, that’s the closest thing we have to city living,” Puddester remarked.